Penn State raised the bar for the program last season by making a run to the College Football Playoff semifinal and coming within mere moments of playing for a national title. This season, the Nittany Lions have great expectations being placed on them by the national polls and power rankings, and for good reason. Is this team ready to run the gauntlet and prove themselves worthy of the high national rankings en route to another deep playoff run?
Our staff at Nittany Lions Wire is going on the record with our Penn State regular-season record predictions for the upcoming season. As you can see, we are all feeling pretty confident in Penn State’s success this regular season, but winning every game is a slightly different story.
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Here are our Penn State final record predictions for the 2025 season.
Christopher Sheppard: 11-1
If all goes well for Penn State this season, they could be looking at an 11-1 regular season with the sole loss coming to the Buckeyes on the road. With not too many road tests, most of the Nittany Lions’ toughest hurdles will come at home. Starting with their Whiteout matchup in Week 4 against the Oregon Ducks, Penn State will be looking for revenge and should overwhelm a new-look Ducks roster despite the hype around 5-star receiver Dakorien Moore. Indiana could prove to be another feisty opponent at Beaver Stadium, but without an established RB tandem and only one top wideout, the pace of the game could be a stretch for the Hoosiers. Their toughest stretch could be that two-game slate in Weeks 6 and 8, where they have games on the road against Iowa and Ohio State. They do have the week off before their matchup with the Buckeyes, but a potentially grueling matchup against that feisty Iowa defense could have a toll. They should survive a scare in Iowa City, but may not have enough in the tank against the Buckeyes despite the bye week.
Therefore, when the dust settles on the 2025 season, Penn State’s only blemish will be against their rivals on and off the field. Nevertheless, they could get a chance at redemption in the Big Ten title game due to the new format. That’s all they can truly ask for in a scenario like this.
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Sam Woloson: 11-1
I have Penn State cruising by its three nonconference games before meeting Oregon (ranked No. 7 in the US LBM Coaches Poll). I think the Nittany Lions squeak by in the Big Ten championship game rematch behind their White Out crowd to move to 4-0.
Next, Penn State should beat UCLA and Northwestern. I expect the road game against Iowa to be a tight one, but I think the Nittany Lions offense will outperform the Hawkeyes when it counts. That brings us to Ohio State (No. 2 in the coaches poll). The Buckeyes are the reigning champs and still really, really good, and I don’t think Penn State will be able to beat them on the road. The curse continues, at least in the regular season.
From there, the Nittany Lions will win out to finish the regular season 11-1, likely good enough to make the Big Ten title game again. I expect Indiana (No. 19 in the coaches poll) and Nebraska to be tough opponents down the stretch, but I predict Penn State will get the job done.
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Toluwani Akintunde: 10-2
I think Penn State runs through the early part of the schedule and gets a statement win over Oregon at home. The two toughest games are at Ohio State and at Iowa. One of those could go either way. I think they split those two and maybe slip up once late. But even at 10-2, this team is playoff-caliber and should be in the Big Ten title game if the tiebreakers fall their way.
Andrew Deal: 12-0
With my bold prediction for the 2025 season being Penn State defeating Ohio State in Columbus, it would only make sense for an undefeated year. Penn State’s arguably second-hardest game is a home game against Oregon in the whiteout. Other than those two top-10 ranked opponents, the schedule is relatively easy despite some potential trap games.
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The Nittany Lions are applying the formula that Michigan used two seasons ago and Ohio State used last year, returning a lot of their production while adding pieces in the transfer portal to fill holes on the roster. The talent on Penn State this upcoming season is one of, if not the best in the entire country, and an undefeated season would live up to those expectations.
Kevin McGuire: 11-1
Penn State is going to be favored to win every game on its scheduile, with the possible exception of its road game at Ohio State on Nov. 1. That is the one game I pencil in as a loss this season based mostly on history in this series suggesting Penn State is more likely to take the loss than celebrate a win. But the Nittany Lions should win every other game on the schedule. The three additional games on my radar as potential hiccups will be the home games against Oregon and Indiana and the road game at Iowa. Nebraska, toward the end of the season, could become interesting if the Cornhuskers get off to a good start, but anything fewer than 10 wins would be a bit shocking for this team.
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Coming up next week: Our preseason Big Ten predictions
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State regular season record predictions for 2025
